Bizerte

Bizerte or Bizerta ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France. The city had 162,053 inhabitants¹ in 2014.

Bizerte or Bizerta ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France. The city had 162,053 inhabitants in 2014. == Names== The classical name of Bizerte, Hippo, is the latinization of a Punic name ( , ), probably related to the word ûbôn, meaning "harbor". To distinguish it from Hippo Regius (the modern Annaba, in Algeria), the Greeks and Romans used several epithets. Scylax of Caryanda mentions it as and ("Hippo the City"). Polybius mentions it as ( , Hippōn diárrhytos), "Hippo Divided-by-the-Water", in reference to the town's prominent canal. It also appears in Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine sources as . Its Arabic name Binzart ( ) and the French and English forms derived from it all represent phonetic developments of its ancient name. ==History== n trade routes 1200¹ BC – 539 BC , Tunisia) ===Later history=== Arab armies took Bizerte in 647 in their first invasion of the area, but the city reverted to control from Constantinople until the Byzantines were defeated and finally driven from North Africa in 695–98. The troops of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire captured the city in 1535; the Turks took it in 1574. The city then became a corsair harbour associated to the Ottoman Tunisia and struggled against the French, the Venetians and the Spanish viceroyalty of Sicily. With its occupation of Tunisia in 1881, France gained control of Bizerte and built a large naval harbour in the city. In 1924, after the French government officially recognized the Soviet Union (USSR), the western military fleet of White Russia that had been kept in the port of Bizerte was returned to the Soviet government. The ships were never moved from the port and finally were sold there as scrap metal. In March 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, Spanish Republican Navy Commander Miguel Buiza ordered the evacuation of the bulk of the Republican fleet. Three cruisers, eight destroyers and two submarines left Cartagena harbor and reached Bizerte, where the French authorities impounded them. During the Second World War, the German and Italian armies occupied Bizerte until Allied troops defeated them on 7 May 1943. During the fighting between the Allied forces and the German Army, many of the city's inhabitants fled to the countryside or to Tunis. The city suffered significant damage during the battle. Due to Bizerte's strategic location on the Mediterranean, France retained control of the city and their naval base after Tunisian independence in 1956. In 1961 Tunisian forces blockaded the area of Bizerte and demanded French withdrawal. The face-off escalated when a French helicopter took off and drew fire. The French brought in reinforcements; when these were fired upon, France took decisive military action against the Tunisian forces. Using superior weapons and decisive force the French took Bizerte and Menzel Bourguiba. During three days in July 1961, 700 Tunisians died (1200 wounded); the French lost 24 dead (100 wounded). Meetings at the UN Security Council and other international pressure moved France to agreement; the French military finally abandoned Bizerte on 15 October 1963. ==Geography== File:Circonscription de Bizerte.png|Circonsciption of Bizerte. ===Location=== Bizerte is on a section of widened inlet and east-facing coast of the north coast of Tunisia, 15 kilometres from Ras ben Sakka (the northernmost point in Africa on the Mediterranean Sea), 20 kilometers northeast of the Ichkeul lake (a World Heritage Site), north of the archaeological site of Utica and 65 kilometers north of Tunis. West of the city there are coastal hills forming an outcrop of the Tell Atlas with well-conserved woods and vantage points. Its associated beaches include Sidi Salem, La Grotte, Rasenjela, and Al Rimel. It is on a section of Mediterranean climate coastline, close to Sardinia and Sicily, as opposed to coasts in the south of the country which have a year-round dry desert climate. The city is centered on the north shore of the canal of Bizerte linking the Mediterranean Sea to a tidal lake, the Lac de Bizerte which is larger than all parts of the town combined, to the immediate south. Built-up areas are in three directions: South-west along the widening canal with jetties at Pecherie and Jarrouba, the latter associated with Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base adjoining the opening of the lake and military/rescue heliport. North are Sidi Salam and Corniche. They are within meters of the coast and on coast-facing slopes of the Ain Berda, a range of hills toward Cap Blanc, a small headland in the Ain Damou Plage natural conservation area. Zarzouna, Menzel Jemil and Menzel Abderrahmane are on the south shore of the canal, formed by the locality of Zarzouna and the towns of Menzel Jemil and Menzel Abderrahmane, by a moveable bridge and both Menzels face the lake itself. The rest of the isthmus on which they stand is the gently rising Foret de Remel, reaching a high point east of its forest area at Cap Zebib. ===Transport=== connecting Bizerte and Tunis The bridge leads to the motorway A4 leading to Tunis–Carthage International Airport and the capital. On the town side the P11 passes semi-rural Louata, hugs Ichkeul Lake and branches into a western route, the P7, leading directly to Tabarka on the coast next to the Algerian border. The P11 leads south-west to Béja, a governorate center, in the foothills of the Tell Atlas, forks into several roads at Bou Salem, a small town in a broad fertile plain, and climbs to Firnanah passing two high-altitude lakes and also approaching the north-west border with Algeria. ===Climate=== Bizerte enjoys a hot-summer mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean Sea breeze makes summers cooler and more humid than in the interior of Tunisia. The city's climate is unique by North African standards due to its geography. The rainy season typically lasts from October to March but can extend from September to May. Bizerte experiences an average of 110 rainy days per year greater than 0.1 mm, a relatively high number for its annual rainfall total of 653.2 mm despite its modest elevations. This is partly due to its direct exposure to westerly and north-westerly winds, which are very active throughout the year. These winds account for over 58% of all wind flows in winter and nearly 50% in summer. During the summer, the climate is moderated by thermal sea breezes, making it more pleasant than many other coastal regions in North Africa. Sea breezes are observed on more than two-thirds of summer days, with their frequency peaking at over 80% in August. A typical summer sea breeze starts around 8:30 AM, reaches its maximum speed of up to 7 m/s around 3:00 PM, and subsides around 9:00 PM, lasting for about 13 hours. This effect is pronounced, with coastal neighborhoods like the Corniche being up to 2.5 °C cooler than inland areas where the official weather station of Sidi Ahmed is located. Forested areas, such as the Ennadhour forest, also benefit from this cooling effect. In contrast to the moderating breezes, the region also experiences hot, dry Sirocco wind events, which occur on average 7 to 8 days per year during the hot season. ==Education== Bizerte is served by the ISG (Institut Supérieur de Gestion) ==Health== There is in Bizerte a large hospital Hôpital Régional de Bizerte, one of the biggest in the region. ==Economy== Bizerte's economy is very diverse. There are several military bases and year-round tourism. As a tourist centre the region is however not as popular as the eastern coast of Tunisia. There is manufacturing (textile, auto parts, cookware), fishing, fruits and vegetables, and wheat. ==Miscellaneous== The port of Bizerte is being developed into a significant Mediterranean yachting marina that was scheduled to open in May 2012. The superyacht section of the marina will be called Goga Superyacht Marina, and will have berths for yachts of up to 110m in length. It is expected that this will give a significant boost to the local economy as the yacht owners and also the hundreds of professional crew will become year-round consumers. The service industries supplying the yachts will gradually develop and bring additional employment. The actor Abdelmajid Lakhal was born in Bizerte. The Teapacks song "Lo haya lano klum" is about how bandleader Kobi Oz' family were expelled from Bizerte by the Nazis in 1942. ==Titular see== Hippo Diarrhytus is a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1989–2002 it was held by Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, then by Jose Paala Salazar, O.P. in 2002–2004 and by Manfred Grothe since 14 October 2004. The city and see of Hippo Diarrhytus should not be confused with those of Hippo Regius where Saint Augustine of Hippo was the bishop. ==Notable residents== Georges Madon (1892–1924), ace pilot Claude Pujade-Renaud (born 1932¹), writer Maurice Poli (born 1933), actor Abdelmajid Lakhal (1939–2014), actor and theatre director Nikita Mandryka (1940–2021), cartoonist Lionel Duroy (born 1949), writer Pierre Cohen (born 1950), politician Jean-Marc Luisada (born 1958), pianist Mondher Kebaier (born 1970), football coach Hassen Bejaoui, (born 1975), former footballer Malek Jaziri (born 1984), tennis player Hamdi Harbaoui (born 1985), footballer Souheïl Ben Radhia (born 1985), footballer Farouk Ben Mustapha (born 1989), footballer Hamza Mathlouthi (born 1992), footballer Bilel Saidani (born 1993), footballer ==International relations== ===Sister cities=== Bizerte is twinned with: ===Cooperation agreement=== Clermont-Ferrand, France, (a program of rehabilitation of historic centers) Dunkerque, France, File:Old port of Bizerte (132040767).jpg File:Pilsum leaving Bizerte.jpg File:Ksiba, Bizerte3.jpg File:Vieux port by night.JPG File:Bizerte jarzouna.jpg File:RouteCornicheBizerte.jpg File:RouteCornicheBizerte2.JPG File:Bizerta-downtown.JPG File:Bizerte2020.jpg File:Binzaret.jpg|alt=|A photo for Bizerte dock, also knows as leksiba ==See also== European enclaves in North Africa before 1830 ==References== ===Bibliography=== . . ==External links== in the Encyclopedia of the Orient

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